Chapter 01

Washington DC; office of Homeland Security…

In a small office on the third floor, a mail clerk could be heard, "Director Shore, this just arrived for you via special courier." The clerk handed Nancy a thick envelope.

After he left, she opened the envelope seeing the words "Decree for Divorce" embossed across the top. She smiled "Finally."


Several weeks prior on Atlantis

John and Ronon were walking along the corridor leading away from the gym.

Ronon said, "I watched it last night. There was hardly any fighting."

John shook his head in bemusement as he replied, "That's 'cause it's not about fighting."

Ronon looked confused as he responded, "They why's it called 'Blades of Glory'?" Two years on Atlantis and he still didn't understand the Lanteans strange ways. Blades of Glory clearly should have been about swords and war and instead all he got was some pansy people gliding across ice on some thin metal shoes. Where there should have been blood and guts there was ice and dancing. Weird.

John tried to explain, "'Cause it's about skate blades."

Ronon complained, "And this is a real sport? Men and women dancing around on ice?" He still wasn't sure Sheppard was trying to pull one over on him.

John responded, "Unfortunately. I'm a football man myself."

Ronon shook his head again as he stated, "Your planet's weird."

They were still discussing the sports value of the movie "Blades of Glory" when they arrived at Sheppard's quarters. John reached forward to wave his hand over the door controls when they were interrupted by Samantha Carter, who came up behind them with a concerned look on her face.

"Colonel, I was just coming to see you. Do you have a minute?" Sam inquired.

Sheppard caught the look on Sam's solemn face. He exchanged a brief glance with Ronon and said, "Yeah, sure."

"I received a message from Stargate Command. I'm afraid I have some bad news," she said.

"Ok." John braced himself for what looked like could only be really awful news.

Sam glanced down briefly before she looked him in the eye and said quietly, "Your father suffered a massive heart attack last night. I'm sorry John, they aren't sure if he'll pull through."

John stood there in shock as both Sam and Ronon asked if there was anything they could do to help. He declined as he turned around and walked into his quarters effectively shutting everyone out. He went to his bed and sat down. He then reached under the bed and dragged out an old Air Force Lockbox. He opened it up and pulled out a picture of him, his parents, and his two siblings. He just stared at the picture with no discernable expression on his face.

Outside his room, Sam and Ronon just looked at each other in silence. After a couple of minutes, Sam turned and walked away; her ponytail swayed back and forth as she hurried down the corridor leaving Ronon standing there staring at the closed door.


Back on Earth…

A young woman was doing research on Patrick Sheppard, utilities mogul. As she passed a table, several folders were spread out with various articles and pictures of several members of the Stargate Project including John, Ronon, Rodney and Sam.


City of Atlantis, officer's quarters…

A few hours later, John was in his quarters packing when a concerned Rodney McKay walked in unannounced. John looked up just as Rodney came further into the room. "Hey. I, uh, heard what happened. I'm very sorry," he said nervously.

John, not ready to deal with Rodney or anyone else at the moment, just looked at him and said, "Thanks." As he continued to pack, Rodney shuffled forward swinging his arms in an agitated manner.

"You ok?" Rodney asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sheppard said unconvincingly.

"You know, I requested to go back with you, but the Ancient device at M7G-677 is malfunctioning."

John finished zipping his duffle bag, straightened up and asked, "That the planet with all the kids?"

Rodney grimaced, "Yeah."

"Well, that should be fun for you," Sheppard attempted to tease his friend but his heart really wasn't in it.

Rodney covered, "Yeah… well… believe me; I'd get out of it if I could but without the EM field they're an easy target for the Wraith. I guess it's just… bad timing."

"Hey, don't worry about it."

Both awkwardly looked at each other. Rodney offered hesitantly, "If you wanna… you know… talk or…"

John interrupted Rodney's attempts at conversion; "Rodney. I'm fine." he said firmly but his voice was filled with doubt.

Knowing how his best friend was usually closed mouthed about emotional stuff, Rodney decided to take the hint that Sheppard didn't want to talk. "Right." He hesitated momentarily on his way out but then nodded briefly to himself, turned and exited John's quarters.


Gateroom on Atlantis…

John watched the Chevron's encode while ignoring all the sympathetic stares of the Gateroom personnel. As he watched the gate, Ronon saddled up to him. Sheppard turned to look at him, "Where are you going?"

"With you," Ronon replied as the Gate's locked in place and the wormhole engaged. He ignored Sheppard as he walked forward through the event horizon. John stared after him for a moment frowning; then rushed to catch up before the Gate closed.


Back in the Milky Way Galaxy, Cheyenne Mountain Base…

After a brief meeting with SGC personnel, Ronon and John decided to drive to John's hometown. The drive was completed in companionable silence. They located a hotel nearby John's family home. John then took Ronon shopping for suitable clothing for the time they would be on Earth. John called the hospital but was informed there had been no change in his father's condition. Since it was too late to head to the hospital, the men decided to stay in at the hotel and watched a movie on the pay-per-view channel before turning in for the night. Both knew the next day would be torturous for each of them… although for different reasons.


Los Angeles County General Hospital…

"I don't like this place," Ronon grumbled as he and Sheppard walked down a hospital corridor. "It smells funny."

John replied absently, "Yeah. It's the funky hospital smell. They all smell alike. Hate 'em myself." He stopped in front of an elevator and pushed a button to call the car.

"What's this?" Ronon pointed to the doors.

John glanced at him as he replied, "Think of it as a transporter… just slow… very slow." The elevator dinged and the doors ground open.

Once inside, John pushed the button for the floor that housed the critical care patients. The doors stayed open for several more seconds before creaking close. John muttered, "I did mention slow, right."

Ronon grunted, "Yeah." They didn't speak further as the elevator carried them up to the third floor.


After he left Ronon in the CCU waiting room, John hurried to the nurse's station.

"Yes, may I help you?" a blonde nurse asked.

John looked at her badge before replying, "Thank you Tabitha. I want to visit my father and was wondering which room he is in and if there has been any change in his condition."

"Of course, Sir. What is your father's name?" she asked.

"Sheppard… Patrick Sheppard. The message I received was that he had a heart attack," he answered.

Having dealt with several reporters the previous day and not recognizing the man in front of here as being the same man that was identified as the patient's son, the nurse replied suspiciously, "I'm afraid I'll have to have some identification. To protect the privacy of our patient… you understand."

John looked irritated as he replied, "Whatever. Here." He pulled out his military identification and handed it to the nurse.

"Oh. Colonel Sheppard. I'm sorry… it's just… we had some problems yesterday with the press and I'm…um… I didn't know he had another son…" her voice trailed off in embarrassment.

John tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently, "Fine… the room please."

"Oh, right. Right this way sir," she rushed around the counter and led John to a room partitioned off for increased privacy. "The doctor hasn't finished rounds yet this morning but I'll see if she can stop by to update you on Mr. Sheppard's condition. I'm afraid he hasn't woken up yet."

John responded, "Thanks." He waited till the nurse backed out of the room before he turned to face his father. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he took in the tubing and wires running to the machines that kept his father alive. He slowly moved forward till he was standing beside the bed.


David Sheppard exited the elevator as he contemplated all the things that he had to do that day. He exhaled as he muttered, "Damnit Dad. This is really bad timing." He was almost passed the nurses' station when the nurse hailed him.

"Mr. Sheppard," she called.

Dave stopped and looked towards the nurse, "Yes." He prayed… please no more bad news.

"Uh… The doctor is on her way and will see you and Colonel Sheppard in about fifteen minutes."

"Colonel Sheppard?" Dave questioned. "Do you mean John? He's here?"

"Yes, sir. He's with your father right now," Tabitha replied.

Dave turned and hurried to his father's room. He slowly pulled back the curtain in time to hear John say, "Yeah well. I've been kind of out of touch for awhile."

Dave bitterly interrupted, "Out of touch…that's an understatement."

John whirled at the sound of his brother's voice, "Dave."

"John, I wasn't really sure you'd come. After all, it has been four years since you've bothered to contact anyone in the family… even Nancy."

"Yeah. About that… can we maybe talk about that some other time. I came as soon as I got the message," John answered.

"Fine. But since you're here. I do expect you to uphold your duties to this family. Dad had a fund raiser planned at the estate today and I want you there."

"A party. I really don't think…" John started.

Dave interrupted firmly, "It's not a party. It is a fund raiser for breast cancer research. I think you owe it to him to be there since he can't."

John stared at Dave for several seconds before slowly nodding his agreement.


Sheppard Family Home…

Several cars had already pulled up in front of a well kept estate before John and Ronon arrived. As they exited their car, Ronon commented, "Lot of people." He glanced around witnessing the signs of affluence and wealth but was unable to reconcile the seemingly aristocratic upbringing with his laid-back friend so he decided not to mention it.

"Yeah. The old man is pretty well connected," John muttered uncomfortably seeing Ronon's curious stares. He started walking forward while shoving his hands in his pocket. He then took one out to pull on the collar of his shirt in a rare display of nervousness. Ronon and John watched as a man separates from the guests and started to head toward them. "John," the man called as he reached the two men.

"Dave."

"I know you agreed to come but I wasn't sure you were actually going to make it," Dave said as he shook John's hand. He clearly thought of John as a guest rather than a close member of the family.

"Well, as I told you earlier I came as soon as I heard." Dave waited for John to continue but after a brief pause he realized that his recalcitrant brother wasn't going to say anything else. To cover their awkwardness, Dave just nodded.

"It really is good to see you. When I contacted your unit commander at Peterson I wasn't sure when you'd get the message. They just don't seem to reach you." He turned to Ronon as he continued, "I don't believe I've met your…" Dave's voice trailed off as he fished for information on his brother's companion.

"Uh, this is Ronon. Ronon, this is Dave, my brother." John quickly introduced the two men.

Everyone looked uncomfortable as Ronon said, "Yeah. Nice to meet you." He then shook hands with Dave.

"Pleasure. You two work together in the Air Force?" Dave inquired even though he could see that Ronon was not standard military issue. Sheppard hurriedly interjected, "He's a civilian contractor."

Dave obviously sensed the lie but was just happy that John had decided to come to the fundraiser so he in turn decided not to call his brother out on the lie. "Right. Anyway, John, I think we should probably talk. We didn't really get a chance to at the hospital this morning."

John agreed, "Yeah. We probably should."

The brothers stared awkwardly at each other for several seconds before Dave excused himself to see to the guests, "I'll catch up with you later."

So caught up in their own thoughts, none of the men noticed the conversation was being observed by a young woman. The woman's eyes tracked Dave as he left the group but she stayed behind and continued to shadow Ronon and John.


John stood over his father's private desk. He dragged his hands through his hair causing it to spike up even more so than usual. He twitched nervously as he buttoned up his jacket knowing his father's stand on maintaining appearances at all times. He could hear his father's admonishment in his head, 'Death is not an excuse for a poor and shoddy appearance'. As John gazed down around the room, he realized he didn't know quite what to say.

Ronon spied Sheppard standing alone in an alcove and immediately advanced towards him. He came to a halt when he noticed that Sheppard was standing nervously in the room by himself. His friend wasn't known for twitchy behavior so Ronon decided that he had better leave him to his thoughts for now. Ronon took up guard outside the room so that no one would disturb his friend while he was inside. He noticed the signs of grief in John that he himself had witnessed in his own face for years after the invasion of Sateda by the loathsome Wraith. Apparently the Sheppard family had a lot of fences to mend. He just hoped for John's sake that it wasn't too late.


Later, Ronon piled food on his plate as he asked, "This is free, right?" The woman across from him gave him a strange look as she replied, "Yes, it's free." Ronon happily responded, "Excellent."

He added more food to his plate as he wandered over to where John was standing. He looked down at his plate then offered, "Lots of food over there."

John glanced at his plate before he responded with a negative shake of his head, "I'm good."

He curiously asked, "This the house you were raised in?"

John absently replied, "One of them."

"That's nice."

John continued, "Yeah. Couldn't wait to get out of here."

Ronon didn't understand why anyone would want to leave the cushy life and inquired, "Yeah. Why?"

John decided to indulge Ronon's curiosity and replied, "My dad's idea of teenage rebellion was going to Stanford instead of Harvard."

Ronon frowned when he realized he had no idea what Stanford or Harvard was or why either would be a problem. He started to ask more questions when John interrupted, "Never mind. He just… he had everything planned out for me since I was about fourteen."

Ronon decided a change of subject was in order, so he questioned, "So what do we do now?"

John rambled, "Mostly people sit around, drink….," he glanced at Ronon's plate before continuing, "eat… some more than others. Mostly they just talk. They don't know what to say but they talk."

Ronon nodded his understanding as he watched the people mill around in little groups. He spotted Dave talking and laughing with some people and commented, "Your brother seems to be handling it well."

John responded wearily, "That's what he does… he handles things."

Ronon asked, "How come you never mentioned him before?" He gestured towards Dave.

John said, "It's complicated." John gazed around unseeingly. His eyes locked on a beautiful woman heading their way. He swung back around and urgently whispered, "I told you I had an ex-wife, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Ronon asked as he looked at John.

"Here she comes," he said just as his ex-wife arrived.

"Hi, John," she said looking happy to see him.

"Nancy, I didn't expect to see you here," he responded as she grabbed him and gave him a sympathetic hug while saying, "I'm very sorry about your Dad. I hope he is going to be alright."

After breaking the hug; she stepped back as John introduced Ronon to his ex. "Nancy, Ronon. Ronon, Nancy." He waved his hand between the two people before him still shocked by Nancy's appearance. "Sorry, I don't know what last name you're using now?"

Ronon wiped his hand across his jacket before grasping Nancy's offered hand in greeting. Nancy quietly said, "Please to me you Ronon? It's Shore… well Sheppard-Shore actually. I kept the Sheppard part for professional reasons."

After an awkward moment, John asked, "How long are you here?"

Nancy responded, "Just for today. I have to be in Washington tomorrow, so…"

John filled in the awkward silence with, "Still with Homeland Security?"

Nancy looked pleased that he asked, so she didn't hesitate to tell him, "Yeah, I just got promoted. I'm a director now."

Sheppard congratulated her before he asked, "How's… how's Greg?" He deliberately gave the wrong name.

Nancy gave him a dirty look as she corrected him, "Grant."

John parroted, "Grant." He got a sour look on his face.

Seeing the look, Ronon moved off to give them a semblance of privacy.

Nancy glanced after Ronon before continuing, "He would have come, but he's trying a case in Phoenix."

John reluctantly stated, "Sounds like he's doing well."

Nancy responded, "Yeah, he is. He's… uh… yeah, he's doing well." She grinned awkwardly before explaining, "You know… your dad… was always very good to me."

Sheppard fell back on his old sarcastic defense mechanisms as he shot back, "Well, in his mind, marrying you was probably the best thing I ever did."

Nancy felt a pang of hurt and smiled bitterly at the comment John made and excused herself before things deteriorated further, "Okay. Well, it's good to see you again John. Take care of yourself."

John nodded. He grimaced as he started regretting the comment but he didn't know how to fix things.

Nancy called back to Ronon, "It's nice to meet you."

Ronon turned back and called out, "Oh… it's nice to meet you." He waved goodbye as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

She turned and headed back into the crowd never once glancing back at the two men watching her.


Inside the house, John and Ronon headed to the bar and were approached by the same young woman that had been watching them earlier. She called out, "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard?"

John looked around and spotting the young woman responded, "Yes."

She identified herself, "My name is Ava Dixon." She looked over at the colonel's companion before she continued, "You must be Ronon."

John demanded, "Do I know you?"

Ava responded, "No, we've never met but you knew the man I used to work for… Henry Wallace."

John shrugged indifference before he replied, "Doesn't ring a bell."

Ava countered, "Look… I realize you have to keep up appearances in public but I don't have time to play games. Henry Wallace was the man who kidnapped your colleague, Dr. Rodney McKay, and forced him to work on a highly illegal research project involving alien technology…"

An angry Sheppard interrupted Ava by grabbing her arm and demanding, "Who the hell are you?"

Ava calmly replied, "We need to talk but not here."

John nodded in agreement. He gestured for the others to follow him outside.


Dave spotted John and his friend heading towards the driveway with a young woman in tow. He rushed to intercept.

John spotted Dave heading towards them and ordered, "Take her to the car." He tossed his keys towards Ronon who simply nodded as he escorted Ava away.

Dave hurried over. "John, I was thinking that we should probably…" he started.

"Uh, look, something came up. I've gotta go."

Dave looks stunned that John would just leave. "John you promised. For Dad," he said bracingly.

"I know, but this is work-related."

Dave was angry that John was just abandoning him again and lashed out, "Oh, oh. What is it, top secret, national security, that sort of thing?" he said sarcastically.

John knew he was disappointing his brother but duty called, "Yeah, something like that."

Dave not understanding how his brother could just walk away responded childishly, "You know… this is so typical."

John tired and pissed bit out, "If you've got something to say… just say it."

Dave looked briefly saddened as he hotly demanded, "Look, there's just one thing I wanna know. What's your level of expectation here?"

John not understanding where his brother is going asked for clarification, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean if the unthinkable happens and Dad doesn't make it… are you gonna challenge the will? I have no idea what is says… of course, but I think I can guess."

John is shocked and just stares at him wondering how it ever came to this, he angrily responds, "That's what you wanna talk about? You have Dad already dead and you wanna talk about money?!"

Dave postured, "That's why you're here, isn't it? To make sure you get your share if anything happens to him. You've been gone a long time, John. It's not such a stretch."

John just glared at him as he snapped, "You've got nothing to worry about." He turned to walk away before he said something he knew he would regret later.

"Hey, if I've got the wrong impression of you, it's not my fault. You're the one who left remember? I stayed. I looked after Dad; I ran the business while you're off doing God knows what," Dave called back to him.

Sheppard turned back looking a little lost, "I'm assuming that's what Dad wanted."

"No…" Dave paused before continuing more calmly, "No, it's not John. Dad regretted what happed between you two. He's been trying to find you for years." He stared at his brother for a few seconds before he turned and walked away, not knowing if they will ever have a chance to right things between them.

John stared after him knowing that he had a lot of bridges to repair and no time to do it.


At an unnamed bar in town, John, Ronon and Ava were sitting around a table drinking coffee.

Ava commented, "I would have come to you sooner but you are a hard man to find."

John looked at Ava and said demandingly, "All right, you've got out attention. What's this all about?"

"For the past three years, I've been working for a company called Stanton Research, a division of Devlin Medical Technologies. I was recruited out of college by a brilliant scientist named Dr Richard Poole and together we worked on a secret project codenamed Archetype." She paused as Ronon asked "What kind of project?"

"We were experimenting with nanite programming, trying to increase the complexity of their interactions. Listen, I wasn't aware of what happened to Dr. McKay and his sister until much later. At the time, all I knew was that we'd been given a key piece of programming, something that allowed us to make a major breakthrough," Ava continued with her explanation.

Sheppard pretended ignorance as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's one thing to inject nanites into a mechanical or a biological system for the purpose of affecting changes at a molecular level, but it's quite another to use them as building blocks to create an entirely self-sustaining entity." She went on to explain how Dr. Poole created a male Replicator. She believed that Dr. Poole was operating under legitimate orders until one day he came in looking panicked. Dr. Poole instructed her to destroy all evidence of their research because the IOA's investigation of Devlin Medical was getting too close to the truth. The replicator attacked Dr. Poole and escaped, killing two security guards. John and Ronon realized the alarming implications.

"You're telling me there's a Replicator loose on Earth?" John said disbelievingly hoping against hope that he had misunderstood the entire conversation.

His hopes were dashed as Ava replied, "That's right."

Ronon asked, "How long?"

Ava responded, "Well, he escaped three weeks ago. We've been working on a way to track him but so far have had no success. He could be anywhere by now."


Devlin Medical…

Ronon and the military kicked down the door to the lab and he and a group of marines rushed in. Dr. Poole jumped up as a marine called out, "Show your hands! Get 'em up!"

Poole raised his hands in surrender as Ronon and a marine twisted his arms behind his back and cuffed him.

After the area was secured, John and another marine entered the lab. The marine reported, "Sir, the facility is secure. Looks like he was the only one here."

Poole looked on confused till he places the man standing in front of him, "Colonel Sheppard… and Ronon of course. How did you find me?"

John smirked as he responded, "We had a little help." Ava was escorted into the lab by a marine.

Poole yelled, "Ava!"

Ava looked sad as she apologized, "I'm sorry Richard."

Dr. Poole glared as he realized that he has been compromised. "Ava! My God! Do you realize what you've done?"

Ava excused her actions, "I didn't have a choice! I couldn't let this continue any longer."

Poole defended himself, "I had the situation under control."

John interjected, "Your little science project got two of your own men killed… and he's still on the loose. I don't think you have control of anything."

The doctor refuted, "He killed in self-defense! If he's not threatened again, he won't harm anyone."

John assured him, "Well, that's because we're gonna find him and we're gonna neutralize him." He then pulled a small communicator device out, activated it and then handed it to Ava. He attached a second device to the doctor as he stated, "… and you are gonna help. Apollo, we're ready." The marines stepped back as the Asgard beam spirited Sheppard, Ronon, Ava and the Doctor away.


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

Sheppard had begun to interrogate Poole as Ava looked on. "Alright… let's start with giving me the access code to the data files we recovered."

The doctor laughed as he responded, "I don't think so."

Sheppard promised, "You do know we will crack it eventually."

Poole confidently replied, "The entire directory's encrypted with a 448-bit key symmetric algorithm. Good luck."

John glared at the doctor before he turned to Ava and asked, "What about you?"

The doctor interjected cheerfully, "I never gave her the code. It's was for her own protection. Look… I'll cooperate as long as you guarantee that I get to bring him in."

John refused, "Forget it."

"We are talking about an incredibly advanced and valuable piece of technology here."

John responded, "You've had your chance. Now… it's my turn. Are you gonna help us track this thing or not?"

Ava moved forward and assured the colonel, "I'll help you Colonel."

The doctor protested, "Ava!"

Ava rejected, "Be realistic Richard. He's out there alone. You know he's not programmed for ordinary social interaction. What happens if someone accidentally frightens him or corners him? We can't afford to wait any longer." Ava was clearly concerned that the rogue replicator would harm innocent people.


John and Ronon were walking along the ship's corridor when the IOA representative came up behind them and called out, "Colonel Sheppard."

John turned around and was surprised to see his former security chief, "Bates!"

Ronon asked, "You two know each other?"

Bates and John shook hands and grinned as all old conflicts seem to be water under the bridge. John introduced Ronon and said, "Yeah, Bates served on Atlantis when we first got there, then he got into it with a Wraith. Took a pretty good beating."

Bates explained, "He got the drop on me but I still managed to get in a few shots. How're you doing?" He offered his hand to Ronon.

Ronon grasped his hand as he responded, "Ronon."

John asked, "You with NID?"

Bates replied, "IOA. After the Air Force gave me an honorable discharge due to my injuries, the IOA contacted me. They were starting up a new field division dealing specifically with operational threats on Earth and it seemed like a good fit." He sounded satisfied with his life after Atlantis.

John responded, "Well, it's good to see you back in action."

Bates commented, "You too, sir."

"You don't have to call me that anymore."

Bates grinned as he said, "I guess not. Old habits die hard." They headed down the corridor back towards the interrogation room. "So how are our prisoners?"

John told him, "The girl's cooperating."

"What about Dr. Poole?"

John grimaced as he replied, "Yeah, not so much."

Bates inquired, "Can we track the replicator without him?"

Sheppard responded, "I've got a guy working on it."


Apollo's Lab…

Dr. Bill Lee was lamenting his lost vacation as he worked to fix the sensors so that they could locate the replicator hiding on Earth. He muttered, "Stupid emergency contact numbers. Never should have answered that damned phone."

John consoled him, "C'mon doc. It's not so bad."

"Ha! That was my first vacation in three years! Two weeks… all-inclusive… nothing but surf, sun and skimpy bikinis as far as the eye could see… and then they beam me right out of the damned hotel room."

John eyed Dr. Lee for a moment before he responded, "Looks like they did you a favor. Next time… use a little sun block, alright?"

Bill rolled his eyes before he glanced at Ava, "Give it another shot."

She nodded as she types in some command codes. Within moments, the computer beeped a reply. Ava told them, "It's working." Everyone headed over to the console as she continued, "The sensor technology is incredible. Is it alien?"

Bill glanced at Sheppard looking for guidance. Ava saw the look and immediately dropped the subject, "Sorry. I forgot. I'm not supposed to know any of this."

The computer beeped again, Dr. Lee exclaimed, "Oh… hey… I'm picking up a signal. Let me see if I can narrow in on this a bit." He inputted several commands and brought a map up on the large projection screen off to the side of the room. "There. He should be in there."

Ronon asked, "How big of an area is that?"

Lee responded, "That's about five city blocks."

Sheppard ordered, "Seal it off… get everyone out."

Bates responded, "We'll call it a chemical spill. I'll get my people on it." He rushed out the room to get the ball rolling.

John turned to Ava, "I need to know what I'm up against. What kind of capability does this thing have?"

Ava confirmed, "Speed, strength, agility… all well beyond normal human levels."

John asked, "What about tactics? Escape, evasion… does it have any military training?"

Ava advised, "I wasn't responsible for that aspect of his programming."

John groaned silently as he realized that they still needed the doctor's cooperation.


Apollo holding cell…

John paced around the interrogation room table. He glared at Poole, "See… I've had this really crappy few days… so I'm beginning to lose my patience." He leaned down and growled, "So whatever you can do to make this easier may work in your favor."

The doctor arrogantly responded, "Where? At my trial? In front of a judge and jury of my peers? We both know that's not gonna happen. They're gonna put me in some deep, dark hole at Area 51… never to be heard from again. And nothing I say or do now is gonna make any difference."

John drawled, "Well maybe not for you. What about the girl?"

Poole backpedaled, "She didn't know that this technology was obtained illegally. She's completely innocent."

John decided to play on the doctor's fears and apparent soft spot for Ava, "Well… like you said… there isn't gonna be a trial."

The doctor protested, "But she's helping you!"

John replied. "Not good enough." He casually straightened up and stared down at the doctor as he asked, "What's it gonna be Doc?"


Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain…

"Yeah, this is John Sheppard. I wanted to check on my father's condition. Patrick Sheppard. Yeah thanks." John spoke into his cell phone.

Ronon walked up behind Sheppard but upon hearing him on the phone with the hospital he pulled back a few feet and leaned against the wall.

"Okay, thanks," John replied as he flipped the phone shut.

"So… how's he doing?" Ronon asked.

John turned to face his friend, "Same. We'll go by the hospital after we take care of this replicator." He didn't want to talk about the old man right now so he quickly changed the subject, "Everything set up?"

"We're meeting the rest of them at the dock."

"Okay… then let's go."


Dock area…

John, Bates, Poole, Ronon and a squad of marines converged on the search grid.

Ronon asked, "Alright, where do we start?"

Rather than reply, John looked at the doctor and asked, "Well Doc?"

They crowded around and looked at a map of the area. "He's in defensive mode. Basically… he's hiding. He'll be where he's least likely to encounter people."

Bates pointed out an area on the map and commented, "That would be this warehouse here. It's been abandoned for months. The company went bankrupt."

The doctor nodded as he pointed to the ARGs. "And you won't need these. He's been specifically designed to be resistant to current anti-Replicator technology."

Bates looked incredulous as he demanded, "So what do we hit him with?"

"Well, without access to base materials, he has a limited ability to self-repair." The doctor unhappily sighed before continuing, "But if you insist on damaging him, conventional weapons ought to do the trick… although you'll need a fair amount of fire power."

Sheppard responded, "Fire power we can do. What's he gonna do when he sees us?"

The doctor informed them, "He'll continue to evade as long as possible. He'll counterattack only as a last resort."

John nodded then turned to address the marines, "Alright… listen up. Let's try to get this right the first time. We're gonna operate in teams of two. Your objective is to find the target… and once you do that… you will not engage him. You'll radio in his position. We'll coordinate… see if we can't corral him into a corner. At which point, we will bring as much force to bear as we can and take him out… Alright. Let's do this." The men separated into teams of two.

Bates commanded, "Dr. Poole, you're with me."

One of the marines handed Ronon a P-90. He looked at it before he stated, "No, I'm good." He dragged his blaster out of a bag.

John looked envious before taking the P-90 from the marine. Ronon asked, "How're you doing?"

John shrugged but didn't bother to respond verbally.

Ronon responded, "It's been one hell of a week."

John simply replied, "Yeah." Ronon sympathetically patted his back before the men headed out to capture themselves a runaway replicator.


Bates spotted him first and radioed in. "Colonel Sheppard, come in."

Sheppard's voice could be heard over the radio, "Go ahead."

"We've got a visual on the target. He's hiding out in a building about a hundred yards due east of my start position. Looks like he's alone."

Sheppard responded, "Stay put. We'll be there in a minute."

Bates called back, "Understood. Bates out."

Bates continued to watch for signs of the replicator as Dr. Poole snuck up behind and bludgeoned him with a two by four beam. Bates crumpled to the ground unconscious as the beam was tossed aside. The doctor stared down for a moment with regret before visually girding his thoughts as he headed towards the building.

Dr. Poole entered the warehouse taking a cautious step forward into the building. He called out, "Hello? It's okay. You can come out now. I'm here to help you!" He glanced around trying to spot the replicator when he heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned just in time to spot the replicator emerging from his hiding place. The replicator walked slowly towards the doctor.

The doctor assured him, "Good. Okay, listen to me… there are men out there who are looking for you. It's alright… they won't hurt you as long as I can convince them that you're not a threat."

The male replicator gave a confused look as he asked, "How did you find me?"

"Your nanites give off an energy signature. We were able to track it. That's why you can't run anymore." The doctor walked towards the replicator as he continued, "You have to do as I say. You have to self-deactivate."

The replicator fearfully shook his head as the doctor continued to talk, "You've done it before in the lab many times. I was always right there to help you get back online. This isn't any different."

The replicator lowered his head in subjugation as Poole wandered closer and closer. The doctor murmured softly, "You have to trust me." The replicator's head snapped up with a hopeful look as the doctor said, "Everything is gonna be all right."

Sensing the doctor's deception, the replicator grabbed the doctor by the neck and squeezed. He watched impassively as the doctor struggled for breath. He sadly commented, "I'm sorry." He then dropped the doctor's dead body to the ground. He gave the doctor one final remorseful look before taking off.


Ronon and Sheppard rushed to the warehouse and found Bates collapsed in a heap outside. There was no sign of the doctor in the immediate area. Ronon stood guard while Sheppard checked Bates vitals. He sighed heavily as he called into his headset, "Apollo… this is Sheppard. I need you to beam up Agent Bates immediately." Sheppard stood back as the IOA agent was whisked away by an Asgard beam.

Ronon asked, "Where's Dr. Poole?" John shrugged in response as the two men converged on the warehouse. They cautiously entered the building while keeping their guns up and ready to fire at a seconds notice. The men split up to search the building.

Ronon spotted a lump on the ground and called out, "Hey. Over here." Poole's body is laid out on the floor where the replicator dropped him.

John hurried over and checked for a pulse. "He's dead." He and Ronon exchanged glances.

John contacted Dr. Lee aboard the Apollo, "Lee… come in."

Dr. Lee's voice is heard over the radio, "Uh, yeah, go ahead Colonel."

Sheppard informed him, "We've got a problem. Poole's dead. Are you still tracking the Replicator?"

Dr. Lee reported, "Uh… yeah… just hang on…." A few seconds later the doctor exclaimed, "Woah!"

John demanded, "What?"

Lee hesitantly responded, "Uh… I… I just lost the signal."

John bit out, "Crap!"

Lee rushed in and swore, "It wasn't me. I mean… he just… disappeared."

Sheppard commanded, "Well… get him back online. Ronon and I are going after him."

They left the doctor and headed back out to search for the replicator.


Unbeknownst to Sheppard and Ronon, the replicator was tipped off by Poole and had worked out a way to mask his signal from the ship's sensors. He spotted a couple of soldiers and attacked. The Sergeant was able to get off a few rounds before being overpowered by the replicator. The replicator tossed the soldier aside as he continued on his journey to escape the humans.

John and Ronon came upon the soldiers and assisted the Sergeant to his feet. The Sergeant reported, "Sorry, sir. I know we weren't supposed to engage but he came from out of nowhere. He hit us before we knew what was happening."

Sheppard assured him, "Alright… you'll be okay, Sarge. Sit tight." He clasped him on the back as he looked over to Ronon who was checking on the second man. Ronon shook his head. John felt a pang in his gut for the loss of another life as he walked over to Ronon. He looked down on the man as more soldiers began to arrive. John gave them a brief glance before ordering, "Take care of him." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the Sergeant. He then commented, "Alright… so much for evasion."

Ronon responded, "He's desperate. He knows we've got him trapped."

John nodded as he activated his headset, "This is Sheppard. Change of plans… fall back and create a defensive perimeter. Ronon and I are gonna flush him out."

Ronon grunted, "Let's go."


Ronon and John separated to cover more ground.

John was at the dry-dock heading up some stairs looking for the replicator when the replicator jumped out behind him. John turned at the last moment and spotted him. He brought his P-90 up and began shooting. He was rewarded by hitting the replicator in the leg. John watched as the wound healed instantly in a silvery flash. John continued firing as he radios his location for backup, "I'm heading south-east toward the water." The replicator took off running. John pursued.

Ronon replied into his radio, "Copy that." He then rushed off in the direction indicated. The replicator came into view and Ronon immediately started blasting him. He evaded Ronon's weapon's fire by ducking into a nearby building. Ronon rushed in after him as John circled around the building and came in from the opposite end. He surprised the replicator with a direct blast to his chest. Bits of nanites flew as the bullets penetrated the replicator's skin. The replicator ran into John who continued to shoot him at point blank range.

The replicator stumbled and turned away. He rushed out of the building where he faced off with several marines who immediately began firing their P-90s. He evaded the marines as John exited the building. The marines ceased fire so as not to hit John accidentally.

The replicator continued running down the pier until Ronon jumped out in front of him. He was forced to climb a nearby ship's construction staging as Ronon, John and the marines continued to fire on him. Several more flecks of silver flew off him as each bullet found their target. Ronon rushed up the ladder after him.

As the replicator reached the top crane, John ordered, "Hold your fire." He watched as Ronon continued the pursuit.

Having reached his destination, the replicator glanced back once to the humans before jumping into the water to avoid capture. Ronon smacked the rail in frustration before rejoining the others.

Ronon and Sheppard continued to watch the water but the replicator didn't resurface.


Agent Bates held an ice pack to his head as he awaited word from the divers searching the river. He knew they were losing light and their chances of finding the enemy.

Bates reported, "We checked the whole area twice. No sign of him."

Ronon grunted, "Which means he can be anywhere by now."

John asked, "What about the tracking system?" He still didn't understand why that suddenly ceased working.

Bates responded, "Dr. Lee's working on it but the sensors haven't picked up anything yet. He must have found a way to mask his signal."

Sheppard interjected, "Great… back to square one then."


Los Angeles County General Hospital…

"So Dad. How are you doing today?" John inquired as he sat down at his father's bedside. He didn't really expect an answer. "Yeah, that's what I thought." John stared at him in silent contemplation for a several minutes.

"Colonel?" Dr. Mark Sloan called out as he entered his new patient's hospital room. "I'm Dr. Sloan and I've taken over the handling of your father's case."

"I see. What was wrong with the other doctor?"

"Dr. Travis is primarily an ER doctor. I am an internal medicine doctor which includes the field of cardiology. Given Mr. Sheppard's current state of prolonged unconsciousness we felt he needed a more specialized doctor."

"Well… that's good," John hesitantly replied. "Can you tell me how long before he'll wake up."

"We don't actually deal in specific numbers. Each patient is different. Mr. Sheppard has shown signs of waking for the past several hours so it is possible he will wake in the next five minutes or even in the next five hours."

"What about his heart?"

"His heart is actually looking pretty good all things considered. While the attack was severe it didn't cause any lasting damage to the walls of his heart or any of the surrounding organs. We hope for a full recovery in that area. Our bigger concern is the head wound he received when he had the attack. We believe that is the underlying reason for the prolonged coma."

"Is the coma causing any added complications?"

"We won't know that until your father awakens." Dr. Sloan answered as he moved around the room checking on the patient's vitals.

John sighed, "Thank you doctor. I have to head out but will be back as soon as I take care of some work related business. I'm sure Dave will be here shortly."

"Of course, we will continue to keep you and your brother informed of Mr. Sheppard's progress. If you have any further questions, just ask for me."


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

Dr. Lee looked over at the men as he reported, "Sorry guys. I managed to boost the sensitivity two hundred percent but I still can't pick anything up."

John sighed as he asked, "How's it going with those files from the lab?"

Lee said, "Well… I'm running a decryption program but it's slow going. I may have to make a few tweaks."

John ordered, "Well… focus on that for now."

Dr. Lee protested, "We don't know there's anything in there that's gonna help us track him."

John decided to go with his gut, "I know… but something's not right."

Used to his CO's gut feelings and knowing they were pretty accurate, Bates asked, "What do you mean?"

John clarified, "Well… why'd Poole go in there? Why'd he risk his life?"

Ronon stated the obvious, "He thought he could talk the Replicator in."

John shook his head as he paced, "Even if that worked… even if we decided not to destroy that thing… it doesn't change the fact that Poole's going away forever."

Bates interjected, "Maybe he didn't wanna see his life's work destroyed."

John disagreed, ""That's what he wanted us to think, but I'm not buying it. He's been spoon-fed half this technology; he stole the rest. No, he wanted to save the Replicator 'cuz he thought it would do him some good. I'm thinking he's got a buyer; somebody who can get him out of this if he delivers the goods."

Bates said, "I know the type – military; or ex-military. Probably a colonel, not a general; too high profile. Regular IOA channels won't help. These guys operate in the shadows with no official authorization."

John concluded, "That way… everyone's ass is covered."

Ronon asked, "So, where does that leave us?" John immediately thought of Nancy but knew that he would have to eat crow after that last comment he made at the fundraiser. He sighed as he contemplated contacting her in Washington DC.


Later the next day at a park in Washington, DC…

John was sitting on a bench reading the paper when Nancy walked up behind him, "Well, this is a surprise."

Sheppard stood up and said, "Why's that?"

Nancy looked at him as she sat responding, "Two John Sheppard encounters in two days? I hardly saw you that much when we were married. What can I do for you?"

John squirmed with the knowledge of knowing she wasn't real happy with him but given what's at stake he just took the plunge. "Uh, I need a favor. Um, I need as much information as possible about a project possibly codenamed archetype."

Nancy gazed at him incredulously, "You want me to use my security clearance to get you classified information?"

John looked at her and said teasingly, "Well, I didn't say it was a small favor."

Nancy knew she had trouble denying him anything especially when he flashed those bedroom eyes at her but valiantly stated, "Do you know how hard I've worked to get to where I am? If I get caught doing something like this, I could lose everything."

John looked guilty but still tried, "Well, I know! I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important."

Nancy latched onto his statement and demanded, "Alright. What's it about?"

"I can't tell ya." Sheppard replied as he turned away.

Nancy looked pissed as she responded, "Ah, that's typical." She shook her head in disgust as she remembered all the times he used that line in their marriage.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" John said defensively.

Nancy just glared at him crossly and replied, "I haven't seen you in over four years and now you want me to put my job on the line and you won't even tell me why?!"

John looked sheepish as he said, "Alright, when you put it that way, it sounds a little crappy."

"Well, I'm glad you noticed. It's too bad you didn't a little bit earlier; say, like when we were still together? When I think back to all those times that you would just take that call and leave; no apologies, no explanations… For all I knew, you were halfway around the world, flying secret missions into Somalia."

"That's ridiculous. I've never been to Somalia," John interjected.

"North Korea, then," Nancy said sarcastically.

John tried to recover, "There's a big difference," he threw up his hands in defeat.

Nancy gave him an exasperated look as she stated, "I put up with your secrets then, John. I don't have to do it now."

John looking dejected nodded in agreement, "Right."


Stanton Research Facility…

Ava glanced at the guard watching her pack Dr. Poole's belongings. She nervously looked down as John walked into the lab.

"Hey."

Ava acknowledged him, "Colonel. They said I could come… take some of his personal things."

John ignored her comments as he apologized, "I'm sorry about what happened."

Ava couldn't hold his gaze as she thought about the doctor. "Me too. He died thinking I betrayed him."

John tried to reassure her, "Well… you don't know that."

Ava grinned, "It's nice of you to say but this project meant everything to him."

John commented, "Well… maybe you meant something to him too. You never know what people are thinking."

Ava asked, "Even those you're closed to?"

John frowned, "Especially those." Her comment caused John thoughts to travel back through the past couple of days as he thinks briefly about his father, his brother and most especially Nancy.

Ava saw the distracted look and inquired, "Colonel?"

John pushed thoughts of his family away as he focused on Ava, "Look… I know this is not a good time but I've gotta ask you something."

Ava asked, "What is it?"

Catching the concerned tone, John replied, "Did anyone else know about this project?"

Ava firmly answered, "No."

John is not convinced, "No one came to check on your progress?"

Ava responded, "Richard and I were the only ones who had access to the lab."

John persisted, "Was he in contact with anyone… maybe from the military… phone, emails?"

Ava answered, "Not that I know of."

John sighed, "Alright." He stood of and headed for the door but was halted by Ava.

"Colonel, how's it coming with the sensors?"

John turned back as he said, "It's not… but Dr. Lee says he's pretty close to breaking the encryption code."

Ava looked astonished, "I thought that was impossible."

John grinned, "Hmm… guess not." He quickly exited and failed to see the anxious look that came over Ava's face at his comment.


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

John demanded, "Well… how's it going?"

Ronon commented, "I was just about to call you."

Dr. Lee glanced up from his work station at the sound of their voices, "I managed to open those files from the lab."

John looked pleased as he praised, "Nice work. Anything interesting?"

The doctor commented, "Yeah… you could say that." John gave him a confused look as he walked over to the doctor's computer. Dr. Lee brought up the personnel file for Ava Dixon. "Stanton Research personnel records. That is Ava Dixon's file. She was in a car accident last December… head-on collision. She's been dead for almost a year."

John immediately connected the dots and realized that Ava was also a replicator.


Stanton Research Facility…

Sheppard, Ronon, and Bates returned to the lab to find the guard down and Ava missing. John quickly checked the guard for a pulse.

Ronon asked, "Is he dead?"

John replied, "No… but he's gonna have a hell of a headache." He glanced over at Bates who had bent over to pick up a sheet of paper from a nearby desk.

Bates called out, "Sheppard!"

John rushed over and Bates handed him the paper. John looked at it before reading it out loud.

"Colonel Sheppard, I never meant for any of this to happen. I am very sorry. Ava."

John angrily crumbled the note and tossed it on the floor before storming out of the lab.


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

Ronon commented, "So… she's a replicator."

Dr. Lee responded, "Yeah… looks that way. I got two sets of blueprints… one male and one female."

John asked, "What about the sensors?"

Dr. Lee replied, "Ah… we've got nothing. She's masking her energy signature… same way the other one did."

Bates remarked, "Doesn't make any sense. She came to us. Why didn't she just keep her mouth shut?"

Lee interjected, "Why didn't she kill the guard?"

John dismissed them, "C'mon… a replicator with a conscience." He then remembered his brief visit from the Elizabeth replicator and began to think it might just be possible.

Dr. Lee responded, "Well… her programming is distinct from the other one. He's a military model… she's designed for social interaction, simulation of emotion… maybe even empathy. He built her to replace a dead woman from his past."

Bates asked, "Does that mean she can't kill?"

Lee replied, "I'd say it's less likely… but not impossible."

John surmised, "Well… we need 'em both. Anything useful left in those files?"

Dr. Lee reported, "Well… not much so far."

A voice came over the loud speaker… "Colonel Sheppard. Come in."

John glanced up as he replied, "Yeah, this is Sheppard. Go ahead."

"You've got an urgent message, sir, relayed through Peterson."

John frowned as he headed out of the room thinking 'what now?'


Washington, DC

John sat in a car in a DC parking lot when Nancy came up and got into the passenger's side. Sheppard looked at her and said, "Well, you've really got the cloak and dagger thing down."

"I learned from the best." She took out a memory stick and said, "It's everything I could find on Archetype. It's not much, but whatever it is, no one will touch it with a ten-foot pole."

Sheppard stared at her and replied, "I owe you one."

She gave him a look and a smile. "Damn right you do! You know, it's funny; when you and I were together; I couldn't stand it when you wouldn't be able to tell me where you were going or what you were doing. And now, every once in awhile, I catch Grant looking at me the same way."

John returned a look of sympathy even though he was secretly pleased that Nancy and Grant's marriage wasn't all hearts and flowers like he had thought. "When I was doing my snooping around, I took the liberty of asking a few questions about you, John." Nancy admitted causing John to wince.

He glanced away briefly before he said, "That's probably not such a good idea."

"Yeah, I got that impression. I've seen walls go up quickly before, but never like this. And whatever you're into, it's obviously big and… my guess… is very dangerous." Nancy looked like she wanted to say more but instead just placed her hand on his arm as she told him, "I just want you to be careful."

John gives a half smile, "Well, you know me..."

Nancy just looked at him with a sad smile and said, "Yeah, that's the problem. Goodbye John." Nancy got out of the car and walked away without a backward glance.

John gazed after her until she was out of sight. He pulled out his cell phone to call the hospital. He had the number memorized. He was immediately put through to the doctor's office.

"Dr. Sloan?… yes this is John Sheppard." John paused as the doctor updated him on his father's condition. "What!? He did…when?

"About thirty minutes ago. My office left a message for you and for Mr. David Sheppard."

" That's great…"

"I've had an opportunity to examine him and I'm waiting for some test results back but it looks like he might have dodged a bullet on this one. Did you want to speak with him?"

John sighed, "No…no… I don't need to speak with him right now. I'll come by the hospital after I take care of some business."

"Well I'm sure he would be pleased to know that you called to check on him."

John quickly interrupted, "No please don't tell him I called."

Dr. Sloan surmised, "Oh, you want this to be a surprise. That's really nice."

John latched on to the doctor's excuse, "Right a surprise. Thanks Doc." He gently closed the cell phone as he wondered what to do next. Would his father really be happy to see him or would the cold war begin again.


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

Dr. Lee was sifting through the information on the memory stick as Ronon, John and Bates looked on. "She wasn't kidding. So far, it's a whole lot of nothing. I mean… lab requisitions, non-disclosure agreements. Oh… here's an exciting one… an internal memo reminding employees not to use the south parking lot due to ongoing re-paving." He advanced the page to the next document and exclaimed, "Hold on!"

Ronon demanded, "What is it?"

"It's a shipping waybill with instructions to deliver a load of pre-assembled masonry panels to a warehouse in Redding."

John asked bewildered, "So?"

Dr. Lee looked excited as he replied, "So… "pre-assembled masonry panels"… that was a code word we used a few months back to identify shipments of neutronium."

John shrugged not seeing the connection.

Dr. Lee exasperatedly reported, "Neutronium… it's the base element from which nanites are made. You guys damaged him, right? So, if he wanted to fully repair… he's gonna need this."

John concluded, "He's gonna go for the warehouse."

"Yeah… exactly."

Bates jumped in with, "Assuming he knows where it is."

Lee looked annoyed as he responded, "Well… to be perfectly honest… we don't have anything else."

John looked impressed as he commented, "It's a good point."

Bates declared, "Alright. I'll set up a stake-out and if he shows up… we'll know about it." He immediately headed out to set the wheels in motion.

Ronon glanced at John, "This could be our last shot at this guy. We've gotta make sure he goes down for good this time."

Lee cracked, "It's not gonna be easy. I mean, if this was the movies, we'd dip him into a vat of molten steel, or a volcano. You know… the fires from whence he came." He laughed at his own joke while Ronon looked lost.

"What the hell's he talking about?" Ronon finally asked.

Sheppard stared at the doctor for a moment deep in thought before he said, "That's a really good idea."

Ronon and Lee chorused "Really?" The watched as Sheppard jumped up and left the room.


At a Redding, PA warehouse…

John, Ronon, Bates and several marines had the warehouse staked out. The Apollo reported over their headsets, "Sheppard this is the Apollo. We're all set."

Sheppard acknowledge, "Understood."

Ronon asked, "Are you sure he's gonna show up?"

John confirmed, "The IOA said they spotted him nearby."

Ronon questioned, "And what if he spotted them?"

John gave a brief look of concern before he activated his comm-link, "Bates. See anything?"

"Negative. All quiet over here."

John gave Ronon an amused look and commented, "Be patient. He'll show up."

Suddenly, the replicator appeared behind two of the soldiers, grabbed their necks, snapped them with a quick twist and threw the dead soldiers to the floor.

Sheppard and Ronon immediately moved to engage the enemy. Ronon got off a couple of shots before the replicator kicked out his leg and threw a punch at him that flung him across the room. A stunned Ronon didn't get up as the replicator advanced on him.

John raised his weapon and shot the replicator in the back which caused him to turn around and advance on John's position. Before John could plant a locator on the replicator, he was kicked across the room. His body smashed into a group of crates. He bounced off some of the larger packing crates and crash landed on the floor. His face impacted with the floor with a resounding thud.

The replicator reached for John and grabbed him by the neck lifting him against the crates with his feet dangling off the floor. John was unable to break free and was rapidly losing air. Just when it looks like he would pass out, Ava arrived and flung the replicator across the room. John crumpled to the floor.

Ava and the male replicator sparred. As they continued to trade blows both Ronon and John came to. The male replicator grabbed a large cylinder and whacked Ava across the face while saying "You should not have interfered." He then kicked Ava who flew across the room to land against some crates.

Ronon came up behind the replicator and punched him multiple times. It provided the distraction John needed to grab the locator device. He flipped open the blade and stabbed the replicator with the device. Before the replicator could retaliate, John screamed, "Now."

The Apollo then utilized the Asgard beam to transport the replicator.

Ava asked, "What happened? Where did you send him?"

John slumped to the floor as he responded, "Low Earth orbit. I know by experience… re-entry's a bitch."

Ronon grunted as he imagined the look on the replicator's face as he rematerialized in the atmosphere just to disintegrate on re-entry into the planet's orbit.


Los Angeles County General Hospital…

John stood outside the private room his dad had been moved to. He was staring at the door when he heard a throat clearing behind him. He spun around.

"Colonel? Is there something wrong?" the duty nurse asked.

"Uh… no… Tabitha, right?"

Tabitha grinned, "You remembered. I'm on my way to check on your father. Dr. Sloan will be moving him out of critical care tomorrow morning." John nodded as she continued, "The doctor wants him to have one more day just to be on the safe side but Mr. Sheppard has been doing really well. Getting a bit cranky actually."

John snorted, "He's always cranky. Um…would you mind giving me a few minutes alone with him before you check on him. We haven't actually seen each other in about four and a half years."

"Oh, of course just stop at the nurse's station on your way out."

John nodded as he pushed open the hospital door.


Patrick Sheppard looked up as he heard the door creak open. Another damn nurse he thought to himself before he found himself looking into a face he never expected to see again. "John?" he asked incredulously.

John shuffled his feet, "Hi Dad. Guess you weren't expecting me?" He looked at his father tensely as Patrick Sheppard continued to stare at him. Slowly a grin crept across the older man's face.

John felt himself relax for the first time in several days as he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Maybe things really would be alright.


The Apollo in a stationary orbit above the Earth…

Ava was sitting at a table in a holding cell contemplating her future. She knew that Sheppard was her only hope.

In another room, John and the others were observing Ava's actions.

Bates said, "The IOA isn't just gonna let her go."

Ronon reminded him, "If she'd stayed away, we never would have found her. The only reason she's here is because she chose to help us."

John nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Bates reminded them, "She's a machine."

Lee interjected, "Well… we're all machines… just different kinds, you know."

Ronon asked, "What about if we took her to a different planet… somewhere with no people where she can't do any harm?"

Sheppard grimaced, "I don't think that's much of a reward."

Bates refuted, "The IOA would never agree to let her leave Earth anyway."

Dr. Lee offered, "She could work at Stargate Command. She would be a valuable asset."

Bates snapped, "She'd be a constant security threat."

Lee responded, "We don't know that!"

John replied, "No, he's right. There's no escaping the fact she's still a replicator."

Dejected, Ronon asked, "So, what then?"

Rather than reply, John looked thoughtfully at the monitor displaying Ava.


Unknown location on Earth…

John and Ava walked along a pathway in a vibrant green park.

John asked, "How're you settling in to your new life?"

Ava responded, "It's a bit of an adjustment. One of the stipulations of my release is that I don't look for a job in any scientific field. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do."

John spoke, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Ava said, "I wanted to thank you, Colonel. I know they never would have agreed to let me go if you hadn't put in a word for me."

John reminded her, "You saved my life… putting a word in is the least I can do."

Ava said, "I have to admit… I'm a little scared. I mean, I know these emotions are supposed to be artificial but they seem real to me."

John asked, "C'mon, what've you got to be scared about?"

Ava explained, "Well… I've never really been alone before. Richard was the closest thing I ever had to family." She abruptly stopped and turned toward John as she continued, "Anyway, it was nice for you to check up on me. I guess we'll never see each other again."

John surmised, "Well, one thing I've learned about my business is never say never."

Ava smiled, "Goodbye Colonel." She turned and walked away.

John stood watching her until she suddenly disappeared.


The Apollo lab…

A stasis pod opened and Colonel Sheppard was lying inside. He cranked open his eyes as Dr. Lee came forward. "So? How was it in there?"

John sat up and replied, "Well, it's very nice work. Very convincing." He climbed out of the stasis pod.

Lee responded, "Yeah. I'm just glad we were able to download her consciousness intact. Anyway, now she has a whole virtual world to explore."

Sheppard said, "It should keep her pretty busy for awhile."

Ronon asked, "So… uh… what happened to the rest of her?"

John sadly replied, "They scrapped her."

Ronon took it in stride as he questioned, "Yeah. So, since the old man is on the mend and the replicators are taken care of…we headin' back?"

John said, "Yeah. You go ahead. I've got a few things to take care of."

Ronon watched silently as John left the room.


At the Sheppard estate...

John took a taxi back to his family's home. He hesitantly exited and walked up to the door as the cab leaves. He knocked on the door unsure of his welcome. Dave answered the door and was surprised to find John standing there.

"Come in." Dave said with a familiar quirky grin. John headed inside as Dave gave a genuine smile and closed the door.

John settled into the living room looking uncomfortable. Dave came in and offered him a drink. John asked for a beer. Dave headed to the bar, pulled out a couple of beers, handed one to John and said "So…"

Neither knew precisely where to start but John knew that he had caused the biggest rift. "Dave, I don't really know what to say but… I…" John's voice trailed off and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

"John, Dad has always loved you and he regretted the things he said and for running you away from the family. He was just so disappointed by the black mark from the Afghanistan thing but mostly about Nancy," Dave began. "After you got stationed at MacMurdo, Dad did a lot of thinking… and regretting. He tried to contact you about four years ago only to be told you had been reassigned to some special unit. He called in all kinds of favors but still couldn't find you and they made it seem like you were MIA. He was devastated. The only thing they would let him do was leave a message with your command at Peterson. Obviously, he never heard back from you."

"Dave, I was sent on a mission that was believed to be a one-way ticket. I was out of contact with everyone in the states for over a year," John said quietly.

"John…," Dave started.

John interrupted him saying, "No, let me finish. I want to tell you everything but first you will need to sign some papers." John handed Dave the Non-Disclosure Form that he had picked up at the SGC before coming to the house.

Dave read through them and asked, "Is this really necessary?" John just looked at him. Dave sighed and signed the forms stating, "Well after that I want to know everything."

"Okay Dave," John then proceeded to tell him about the past four years of his life. He included information on his friends and teammates, their enemies, as well as some of their missions. Dave was stunned. He didn't know whether to believe John or have him committed. Their talks extended well into the night.

At the end of the evening, Dave offered him a place to sleep but he declined saying he had already taken a hotel room for the night. John headed out to his hotel feeling better than he had since before he arrived on Earth.


John's hotel room…

As he pushed his head under the spray of water from the hotel's showerhead, John reflected on his meetings earlier that day with his brother Dave and his father. He was glad that they each were able to put aside their differences and make peace. Although, Dave still didn't understand why John turned down a seat on the board of Sheppard Industries or his trust fund, he didn't hold it against him.

There was a knock on the door just as John was exiting his shower. "Damn it," he muttered as he envisioned his quiet evening going down the drain. He thought it might be Dave wanting to talk some more, so he grabbed the nearest towel and wrapped it loosely around his waist.

He opened the door saying, "What's the matter Dave, couldn't you wait…" his voice trailed off as he realized that his visitor was Nancy. Nancy in a slinky red velvet halter dress with white trims and slits practically to her waist. John eyes widened.

Nancy smiled and said, "Hi John." Stunned, he just continued to stare at her. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Uh, yeah sure. Did you cut your hair?" John asked as he noticed the new sassy short hair cut. "What are you doing here?" John asked.

"Yes and would you believe I was in the neighborhood?" Nancy replied with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I don't think so." John stood back so Nancy could enter the room. John peeked out into the hallway to make sure there weren't any witnesses before he ducked back inside and shut the door.

Nancy turned to him, "Is Ronon here with you?"

"No, he uh went on ahead to At… uh our duty station." John said still confused as to how Nancy had found him and why. "How did you…?" John's voice trailed off.

Nancy smiled and crowded close. John shifted away until his back hit the door. "Nancy, what are you…?" Nancy slid her hands up his chest, across his neck and grabbed a handful of hair. She leaned forward and kissed him. John was so surprised he reacted on instinct and immediately kissed her back. He reached up and placed both hands on her head with the intention of pushing her away but instead his fingers curled into her newly shorn hair. "Wha, what are you doing?" he asked breathlessly.

"I would think that is fairly obvious John. You were never that dense before." Nancy said as she reached between them and started to unbutton her light jacket. John watched as she shrugged out of it. The jacket slowly slid down her body till it hit the floor.

"I don't think this is such a good idea." John said while looking like he really wanted to go back to kissing. Nancy just smiled at him and hooked her finger into his towel. A little flick of the finger and the towel joined her jacket on the floor. "My, someone looks happy to see me." Nancy said as she ran her eyes up and down John's nude body which was still slightly damp from his shower. John felt the touch of her eyes on his body. They were almost like a physical caress.

John in a valiant effort to do the honorable thing brought up Grant. "What about Grant?" Nancy just looked at him and said "Grant who?" She then moved forward as John fingers released her hair; leaned in and flicked her tongue across his right nipple grinning mischievously. John gave up. As he reached for Nancy, he muttered, "Aw, hell."

They melded together in a mind blowing kiss. The heat quickly built into a blazing fire as their tongues dueled in a passionate display of one-upmanship. John reached around Nancy to unhook the top of the halter dress causing the front to droop a little; he then reached around the back for the zipper on her dress. After a little fumbling, he managed to slowly slide the zipper down while dipping his fingers inside to caress her spine. He gentle maneuvered her towards the bed where he proceeded to make passionate love to her.

Afterward, John brought his hands up to cup her face where he kissed her tenderly and asked if she was alright. She looked at him and said she was better right now then she had been in years. He smiled and they both snuggled down to sleep while their bodies were still connected. They woke up to make love a few more times throughout the night.

The following morning, John woke to a loud banging on the door. He was alone in the bed; no traces of Nancy remained. If he hadn't been so pleasantly sore, he would have thought the night before was just a good fantasy. He got up and opened the door. Dave was there waving breakfast in his face. John just smiled and invited him in.

Dave said, "We've got an hour or so before visiting hours. You can tell me a little more about your base before we go and I won't forget that Dad doesn't know anything about this. Although I think you should tell him…soon."

"I'll tell him just not for awhile. I'd rather he was a hundred percent before springing something like this on him. Besides General Landry thinks that the program might be contacting Sheppard Industries to discuss a business contract."


Los Angeles County General Hospital…

John and Dave stood back as Dr. Sloan finished with his exam.

"Well Patrick, everything looks good. We should have you out of here in about a week," Dr. Sloan said as he made notations on his patient's chart.

Patrick growled, "A week! A few days should be more than enough! Do you have any idea how long I've been away from the office. Plus I've gotta catch up with my sons." He waved his hand imperiously towards the wall that John and Dave were standing at.

Dr. Sloan reiterated calmly, "A week. Nothing less. As for you office, you are recovering from a heart attack and I'm recommending a month of rest and relaxation. Maybe your sons could help with that. And now I've got other patients to see and my own son to harass." He nodded to John and Dave as he headed out the door.

"A month…can you believe that…that hack! He's lost his mind," Patrick complained.

Dave looked at John before responding, "Well, sir. I think I can handle the office for you while you're relaxing for the next five to six weeks." He ducked his head so that his father wouldn't see his amused grin.

Patrick glared at Dave before turning to John, "And you… what do you have to say for yourself? You've been invisible for five years can't you take a few minutes to defend your old man against one lousy doctor."

John replied, "Uh, Dr. Sloan only has your best interests in mind and I think a good long rest will do you some good. However, I'm afraid I'll have to head back to base tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Patrick and Dave chorused. "But you just got here," Patrick continued with disappointment.

"I know but I was only able to come on emergency leave while you were unconscious," John explained.

"You could always quit," Patrick reminded him. "You know you have a place at Sheppard Industries."

John sighed at the return of the old argument. "I'm not quitting. I like my job. I'll be back in a few months and will be able to spend two full weeks catching up with you both."


A few weeks later at a DC doctor's office…

Nancy had just completed a routine physical. "So Doc, I've been feeling really tired, nauseous, and dizzy the past week or so. Do you have any idea what's wrong with me? What did the tests say?" She was clearly impatient for an answer.

"Your timing is impeccable as usual; we just got the results back. It is as I suspected. Congratulations, you're pregnant. I've already written the prescriptions for prenatal vitamins. We won't be able to determine the baby's gender for a few more weeks if you are interested in knowing the information. I would; however, like to set up your first check-up with an obstetrician as soon as possible."

Nancy stared at the doctor in shock. "Uh, are you sure, I think there has been some kind of mistake," she stuttered even as she recalled her and John's night of unprotected sex.